Igor Polikarpov

The Gulf: A young sea in decline

This review examines the substantial changes that have taken place in marine habitats and resources of the Gulf over the past decade. The habitats are especially interesting because of the naturally high levels of temperature and salinity stress they experience, which is important in a changing world climate. However, the extent of all natural habitats is changing and their condition deteriorating because of the rapid development of the region and, in some cases from severe, episodic warming episodes. Major impacts come from numerous industrial, infrastructure-based, and residential and tourism development activities, which together combine, synergistically in some cases, to cause the observed deterioration in most benthic habitats. Substantial sea bottom dredging for material and its deposition in shallow water to extend land or to form a basis for huge developments, directly removes large areas of shallow, productive habitat, though in some cases the most important effect is the accompanying sedimentation or changes to water flows and conditions. The large scale of the activities compared to the relatively shallow and small size of the water body is a particularly important issue. Important from the perspective of controlling damaging effects is the limited cross-border collaboration and even intra-country collaboration among government agencies and large projects. Along with the accumulative nature of impacts that occur, even where each project receives environmental assessment or attention, each is treated more or less alone, rarely in combination. However, their combination in such a small, biologically interacting sea exacerbates the overall deterioration. Very few similar areas exist which face such a high concentration of disturbance, and the prognosis for the Gulf continuing to provide abundant natural resources is poor.

Environmental Concerns for the Future of Gulf Coral Reefs

The Gulf is located in a subtropical, hyper-arid region. It is shallow, and bordered by several wealthy states (Fig. 16.1) undergoing rapid economic growth involving substantial construction along shores and offshore regions, underpinned by its oil and gas industry, and by wealth derived from financial centres. Thriving economic activity has, over the past few decades, begun to exert significant pressure on the Gulf’s marine environment. It is changing rapidly, by developments which include construction, substantial coastline alterations, habitat loss, creation of beds of shifting or suspended sediments, and temperature and salinity changes in restricted water flows along the coast, as well as by climate warming. The Gulf suffers from a “shifting baseline syndrome” (Pauly 1995; Sheppard 1995) and it is difficult to find any meaningful baselines, not only because of ongoing, intensive constructions that cause large-scale alterations of the environment, but also because of several recent episodes of marine mortality from seawater warming.

New records of the genus Gambierdiscus in marginal seas of the Indian Ocean

The occurrence of the dinoflagellates belonging to the ciguatera-related genus Gambierdiscus is reported for the first time from the north-western Arabian Gulf and northern Red Sea in the Indian Ocean basin. Gambierdiscus yasumotoi was recorded from two sampling sites on the southern Kuwait coast, and co-occurrence of G. cf. belizeanus and G. yasumotoi was found also in the Gulf of Aqaba in Jordan. The morphology of cells is described on the basis of light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy examination.

A preliminary assessment of harmful algal blooms in Kuwait's marine environment

Microalgal blooms occur in Kuwaits waters year round. Seasonal non-harmful blooms are part of the annual succession in marine ecosystems and are a typical phenomenon in Kuwaits waters as well as in the Gulf region. The ecology and taxonomy of phytoplankton in Kuwaits waters have been studied during the past few decades; however, only very limited detailed taxonomical studies have been done on marine phytoplankton as a whole, as well as on potentially harmful species. Together with the phytoplankton, benthic microalgae are important primary producers and an essential component of the intertidal zone in Kuwaits marine environment. Potentially toxic microalgae were found in the intertidal sediments of Kuwait. A total of 62 identified taxa can be categorized as potentially harmful species in the collected samples from Kuwaits waters and intertidal flats. Among them, 43 taxa are potentially toxic to humans and marine biota, and 10 taxa are potentially harmful to fish and invertebrates. Potentially toxic species are usually recorded in low densities in Kuwaits waters. However, the presence of a significant number of potentially harmful species in its phytoplankton can be regarded as a significant finding with latent hazards for humans and marine ecosystems. Documentation of this sporadic high abundance together with significant species richness of the potentially toxic phytoplankton, requires more intensive and comprehensive studies of Kuwaits marine environment.

First record of Kryptoperidinium foliaceum (Dinophyceae: Peridiniales) from a hypersaline environment in Kuwait, north-western Arabian Gulf

The occurrence of the dinoflagellate Kryptoperidinium foliaceum is reported for the first time from a hypersaline environment in Kuwait based on recurrent observations of this species from a tidal creek in appreciable numbers. This new record extends the known range of salinity tolerance for K. foliaceum to more than 100 psu. The distribution of the species along a salinity gradient within the tidal creek was studied. The morphological features of the species on the basis of light and epifluorescence microscopy observations are described.

The effect of tidal cycles on the community structure of plankton (with emphasis on copepods) at AFMED Marina in winter (a preliminary study)

Tidal cycles had no significant effect on the abundance or community structure of plankton at AFMED (Aquaculture, Fisheries and Marine Environment Department) Marina, nor had any physicochemical factor, except salinity, on the density of copepods (p < 0.05), although variation in the physichochemical data measured was small. The major components of the plankton community throughout the study were copepods, Noctiluca spp. (mostly N. scintillans (Macartney) Kofoid & Swezy), and cirripede nauplii. Their abundance differed between high and low tides throughout the study. Variation between high and low tides was also observed among the various groups and species of copepods. MDPs (Mean Density Percentages) of calanoids, copepod nauplii, and poecilostomatoids were higher at high tide (45%, 20.09%, and 2.81%, respectively), while cyclopoid and harpacticoid MDPs were higher at low tide (30.63% and 9.95%, respectively).The most dominant copepods were Parvocalanus crassirostris (F. Dahl, 1894), Paracalanus spp., Oithona simplex Farran, 1913, Euterpina acutifrons (Dana, 1847), Oncaea spp., and Corycaeus spp. The copepods with the highest MDPs at high tide were Parvocalanus crassirostris (14.19%), Paracalanus spp. (10.79%), Oncaea spp. (1.75%) and Corycaeus spp. (1.06%), respectively, while Oithona simplex and Euterpina acutifrons had a higher MDP at low tide (14.97% and 9.12%, respectively). The highest MDP at low tide was that of Oithona simplex. Neither tide nor any other factor measured had a significant effect on any of the copepods. Other, related factors (mainly biological and anthropogenic) may thus have accounted for the differences in abundance and biodiversity observed. Weder Tidezyklus noch physikochemische Faktoren hatten einen signifikanten Effekt auf Zahl und Zusammensetzung von Plankton im AFMED (ist die englische Abkurzung fur Aqualkultur, Fischerei- und Meeresforschung der Abteilung Umwelt) Hafen, nur Salinitat wirkte sich auf die Copepodendichte aus (p < 0,05), die Variationsbreite der gemessenen physikochemischen Daten war dabei insgesamt klein. Es wurde in der Studie festgestellt, dass Copepoden, Noctiluca spp. (hauptsachlich N. scintillans (Macartney) Kofoid & Swezy) und Cirripedier-Nauplien die Hauptbestandteile der Planktongemeinschaft bildeten. Ihre Abundanzen veranderten sich die ganze Studie uber zwischen Hoch- und Niedrigwasser. Diese Variabilitat zwischen Hoch- und Niedrigwasser wurde auch fur andere Copepodengruppen und -arten beobachtet. Der mittlere Dichteanteil von Calanoida, Copepoden-Nauplien und Poecilostomatoiden war hoher bei Hochwasser (45%, 20,09% und 2,81%), wahrend er fur Cyclopoiden und Harpacticoiden bei Niedrigwasser hoher war (30,63% und 9,95%).Die dominantesten Copepodenarten waren Parvocalanus crassirostris (F. Dahl, 1894), Paracalanus spp., Oithona simplex Farran, 1913, Euterpina acutifrons (Dana, 1847), Oncaea spp. und Corycaeus spp. Die Copepoden mit den hochsten mittleren Dichteanteilen bei Hochwasser waren Parvocalanus crassirostris (14,19%), Paracalanus spp. (10,79%), Oncaea spp. (1,75%) und Corycaeus spp. (1,06%), wahrend Oithona simplex und Euterpina acutifrons hohere mittlere Dichteanteile bei Niedrigwasser zeigten (14,97% und 9,12%). Die Art mit dem hochsten mittleren Dichteanteil bei Niedrigwasser war Oithona simplex. Weder die Tide noch andere Faktoren hatten einen signifikanten Einfluss auf die Copepoden. Auch andere verwandte Parameter (besonders biologische und anthropogene Faktoren) konnten also die beobachtete Unterschiede in Abundanz und Biodiversitat erklaren.

Remote Sensing of Phytoplankton Variability in the Arabian/Persian Gulf

The Arabian/Persian Gulf [hereafter the Gulf (Sheppard et al. (Mar Pollut Bull 60:13–38, 2010) mentioned that fourteen historical variants of the name of the Arabian/Persian Gulf are known. Here the name ‘Gulf’ is used, as is the case in several preceding scientific papers.)] is a marginal sea of the Indian Ocean connected with the Gulf of Oman through the Strait of Hormuz. Remote sensing approaches to the studies of phytoplankton biomass variability within this very productive and hydrographically and optically complex area are reviewed and analyzed. The remote-sensing reflectance of the Gulf surface is significantly affected by bottom reflection due to the Gulf’s shallowness. Another crucial factor is the deposition of aeolian dust transported through the atmosphere from the adjacent deserts. Spatial and temporal variability in phytoplankton biomass estimated as remotely sensed chlorophyll concentrations together with physical factors are analyzed with a special emphasis on high biomass and toxic phytoplankton blooms.